


Catalyst

by kzam



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Apologies, Cloud Strife is a Badass, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Genesis has good intentions, M/M, Mentor/Protégé, Misunderstandings, Pining, SOLDIER Cloud Strife, Slow Burn, Temporarily Unrequited Love, and they go a bit awry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2019-10-16 11:29:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17548847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kzam/pseuds/kzam
Summary: All Cloud wanted was to wait out his enlistment and move on with his life—to put ShinRa behind him. If he got to piss off some of their personnel in the meantime, great.He hadn’t been prepared for Genesis Rhapsodos to walk into his life and get him conscripted into SOLDIER.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for checking this fic out! There is very little I love more than a materia-savvy Cloud Strife, and this story will be no exception. I was brainstorming how to put a new twist on it after my last couple fics, and this plot is the result...Hopefully it's interesting.

As it turned out, losing a company-issued materia was kind of a big deal around ShinRa HQ.

Honestly, it was all Zack’s fault, but who was going to believe a trooper about that? And so that was how Cloud ended up manning the supply station for his ‘punishment’, apparently with the intention to teach him some responsibility when it came to company issued equipment. In reality, it taught him two important lessons…Never trust Zack Fair when he’s only ‘pretty sure’ something is okay, and never open any kind of shop that required interacting with people.

It also taught him SOLDIERs were a group of self-entitled, pompous assholes, but that was besides the point. It was lucky he’d learned to stop taking shit years ago—seriously, if one more SOLDIER came in waving their status around like it made them exempt from the rules, he was going to snap.

“You’ve hit your limit for the month,” Cloud said, bored as usual at his desk.

Sharp mako eyes narrowed, and oh boy. Apparently today was the day. “Can't you make an exception?"

Cloud pointed at the sign posted clearly on his desk, detailing company policy on equipment allotments. Written boldly at the bottom were two key words: NO EXCEPTIONS. Had he known he would need to point to those two words so often, he would have made a damn placard and put it in the center of the desk.

“Nope.”

“I’m a SOLDIER. I need the extra—”

“Not my problem,” he shrugged, pulling out a granola bar and munching on it. “Is there anything else I can do for you today, _sir?”_

“I’m so sick of you infantry brats thinking you can just—”

“Do our jobs? I know, it’s a real hassle when people try to do that. Also a real hassle when other people try to stop them just so they can have an extra bracer. I mean, seriously, who even needs an extra one of those?”

“Mine broke, and—”

“And nothing, SOLDIER. You get an allotted number of bracers per year, and you hit your limit. You break it, you buy it,” Cloud told him, plain and simple. “It’s not like you can’t afford to buy your own anyway. Get over it.”

“Who’s your commanding officer?” the SOLDIER demanded, arms folded across his pompous chest.

Cloud sighed but rattled off the name, having gone down this route before. “Now will you please get out of here? I’m trying to eat my snack.”

And, yeah. If his commanding officer had a few choice words for him at the end of the week, so be it. He had 6 months left before he was done with ShinRa anyway—before he was done with the military, and he was done dealing with SOLDIERs. If they wanted to kick him out early, all the better.

He had big plans anyway. A whole new life was waiting for him at the end of his enlistment, and even a dishonorable discharge wouldn’t stop it from happening. If there was one good thing about his time in the military, it was that he had met a lot of people in his travels in and around Midgar. One particular mission had landed him in Rocket Town where he met a guy named Cid—a genius engineer who promised Cloud a mentorship once he got out thanks to the ingenuity Cloud had shown on his trip out there.

All it had cost him was the materia he had ‘lost’. It was only a plain fire materia, so it didn’t strike him as such a big deal at the time—especially not when he had called up his trusty SOLDIER friend who had proceeded to tell him it was probably no big deal. That he could just pay for it and call it a day since it wasn’t a unique type.

Thankfully his shift seemed to quiet down after the most recent SOLDIER snob, giving Cloud some much needed time to relax. He pulled out a book after finishing his snack, reading away on the intricacies of engineering and its uses. There were _so many options!_ It had been years since he felt so excited about something, and this goal was actually attainable which made it all the sweeter.

Of course, his quiet reprieve didn’t last long. Boots were clattering on the hard floor within the hour, which was the typical indication another self-entitled SOLDIER had stumbled into his supply station.

“Ahem.”

“No exceptions,” Cloud warned, pointing at the sign with the company equipment policy.

“You have yet to hear my request.”

“Yeah, and you can spare me the time if you know it’s a rule violation.”

“You must be the one there’s been so much chatter about,” the SOLDIER mused, smirking at him as he finally glanced up from his book. “Do you know who I am, Sargent?”

Red hair. Red jacket. Mako eyes. Yeah, Cloud knew _exactly_ who this guy was, and he still didn’t care.

“Seriously, I’m not in the mood. I’m not gonna lick your boots, so why don’t you save us both some time and get out of here?”

“I don’t appreciate your tone. Now, if you would be so kind as to pull my name, I think you’ll find I’m authorized additional materia compared to most,” the redhead insisted, eyeing Cloud expectantly.

Cloud, to his credit, resisted rolling his eyes. It seemed this guy was one of _those_ SOLDIERS—the ones who insisted the rules were different for them, if he would just check. Nine times out of ten, they were wasting his time.

“It’s Rhapsodos, spelled R-H—”

“Just because I’m in the infantry doesn’t mean I can’t spell,” he muttered, and this time he _did_ roll his eyes. Rhapsodos, Genesis. First Class SOLDIER, Rank Commander. Material Allotment, Level Five.

Material allotments were determined by the different types of materia—standard, command, support, independent, and summon materia. Users were only authorized one of each type they could actually cast, meaning most SOLDIERs could only check out one or two at a time. Level Five meant Genesis could have one of each, which was admittedly a bit rare.

Cloud clicked into his file, looking over what he already had checked out in his name.

“All you have left on your balance is a support materia,” Cloud told him, glancing up from the terminal. “Which will it be?”

“I don’t need a support materia, I need a summon.”

“You already have Bahamut out in your name.”

“Yes, and I intend to keep him. It’s not as if anyone else could summon him anyway.”

“Doesn’t mean you get to check out two,” Cloud responded.

“Says who?”

“Seriously?” Cloud pointed at his damn sign, where it clearly stated under Section 6, Subsection B, that such a scenario was not an exception to the materia limitation policy. “Can I go back to my book now?”

“No, you certainly may not. I need to bring Shiva with me—”

“No problem. Just give me Bahamut, and we’ll call it a deal.”

Genesis narrowed his eyes. “I refuse. I demand to see your superior officer.”

“Get in line, buddy. He’s gonna tell you the same thing he tells them—company policy isn’t open to interpretation.”

In fact, other than reprimanding Cloud on his ‘poor attitude’, his Lieutenant made it a point to thank him regularly. Apparently he had already saved the company no less than a million gil since taking this post, being the first infantryman to stand his ground against these SOLDIER assholes. Not that he particularly cared about doing a good job—frankly, he just wanted to keep this ‘post’ till his enlistment was done because there was plenty of down time for him to read.

“I’m not leaving here until I see him,” Genesis insisted, standing his ground.

Cloud plopped back down in his seat, opening his book with disinterest as the man continued to huff. After the last SOLDIER, it was only a matter of time before his Lieutenant showed up anyway.

“You realize I could just walk behind the desk and take what I need, yes?”

“Not if you don’t want to be landed with desk duty for a month,” Cloud retorted, knowing damn well that was what happened to SOLDIERs who threw their weight around like that. Yeah, he could _probably_ pry the damn materia out of the case, but it wouldn’t do him much good if he got stuck on desk duty. “But hey, your call.”

“I’ll make you a deal, then. You look like a capable young man,” Genesis tried, taking on a whole new tone. The flattery route—not very creative, Cloud thought, having heard this one before too. “I’ll turn in Bahamut if you can find one name in your registry that can summon him.”

Cloud snorted, not even needing to look. “Does the name Sephiroth ring a bell? He's polite by the way. Never gives me shit when he comes in here for supplies.”

“He doesn’t count. He has no interest in Bahamut!”

“You can’t add contingencies after the fact. And anyway, I never agreed to your deal. The answer is no.”

“I’m not leaving without—”

“Give me the damn materia,” Cloud snapped, holding out an expectant hand.

“Are you deaf? I’m not turning him in. Bahamut is a very rare creature, and—”

“And there’s at least one more person in this registry who can summon him,” he responded, arching a brow. “Are you another one of those SOLDIERs who says things they don’t mean?”

“No, because I said Sephiroth didn’t—”

“It’s not Sephiroth.”

Just when Cloud was sure this man could get no more condescending, Genesis laughed at his assertion. “You’re delusional. There’s no other SOLDIER capable of such a cast, or I would know of it.”

“Yeah?” Cloud asked, punching a very familiar name into the registry. "SOLDIERs aren't the only ones listed in this registry."

He spun the screen around so Genesis could see it, clear as day.

Strife, Cloud. Infanty Gunman, Rank Sargent. Materia Allotment, Level Five.

“You can use summoning materia?” Genesis huffed, openly skeptical as his eyes flittered over to check Cloud's name badge again.

“I don’t get paid enough to make this shit up.”

He clicked into the file, pulling up his materia statistics.They were a bit erratic, honestly, and it was his inconsistent casting that held him back when he went for the support squadron. Summoning had always been the easiest for him, though. Sure, he’d never tried Bahamut before, but he was willing to try anything once—especially if it shut this guy up. His mana levels weren’t as high as someone like Genesis or Sephiroth, but he’d dabbled enough to know he could manage more than most when it came to this stuff.

“Only half a dozen SOLDIERs are capable of calling a summon, and none but myself and Sephiroth can handle Bahamut.”

“So?” Cloud shrugged, still holding his hand out. “Trying never hurt anyone.”

“We’ll see,” Genesis muttered, popping the red orb out of his bracer and handing it to Cloud with clear reluctance.

He accepted it wordlessly, the jolt from the materia more startling than usual as their fingers grazed. This was definitely the most powerful summon he had ever held if that was any indication, which was saying something since he was currently keeper of the supplies. He debated briefly being a brat and checking the materia back in instead of playing this game, but something told him Genesis would just stick around and complain if he did that. The point in all this was to move this interaction along, not to let it drag out, and so he wrapped his hand tightly around the orb instead.

A familiar tingle resonated inside him right away, like this orb had always belonged to him somehow. It had been a while since he needed to try anything like this, but he was pretty sure he could do it if he just—

_There._

He closed his eyes, pulling on the point where his mana met the mako that had begun to tickle his skin, crackling from the materia in his hand.

“Shit,” he whispered, surrendering _a lot_ more mana than he expected in exchange for creature held back by the mako. The sudden loss left him short of breath, leaning on his desk for support as he fought the urge to collapse.

Exhaustion aside, it was actually pretty cool. He couldn’t help smiling as he opened his eyes, seeing Bahamut for the first time. Definitely something he wouldn’t be forgetting any time soon. There were a few dragons back home in Nibelheim, but none had looked so fierce—and none were tied to him intrinsically, waiting on his command to attack.

“You…” Genesis stared at him, wide-eyed and open mouthed. “How?”

“Does it matter? It’s done, and we had a deal. Do you wanna keep this one or do you want me to get Shiva?” Cloud asked, hoping to speed this right along. When there was no answer, Cloud took a guess, releasing Bahamut from his grasp and handing the orb back to Genesis. “You don’t look like a Shiva kinda guy.”

“Who is your superior officer?” Genesis asked, softer this time.

“Seriously? You’re a sore loser.” That didn’t stop Cloud from rattling off his Lieutenant's name, since he technically wasn’t allowed to decline to tell a SOLDIER that information. “Can I go back to my book now?”

“Of course. I’ll be seeing you around, dear.”

 _Dear?_ Cloud raised a brow, wondering what was with the sudden change in tone. He was pretty sure Genesis had winked at him as well, like they’d just shared a secret or something.

If they had, Cloud had definitely missed it.

\-----

A week later, Cloud sat in SOLDIER headquarters with his head hung, wondering which SOLDIER it was that he pissed off so sufficiently that they went and cried to _Lazard_ about it. Apparently not even his Lieutenant had the pull to get him out of a summons to see the Director of SOLDIER, which meant he had to suck it up and take this reprimand whether he was right or wrong.

“He’ll see you now,” the man’s secretary said, buzzing him into the office.

Cloud let out a long sigh, trying to hang onto the words of advice his Lieutenant had given him. _Be polite. Just let it go if he calls you an asshole—it’s not like he’ll be wrong on that account. Agree to reel it in a bit and he’ll send you on your way._

Fuck that, Cloud thought, narrowing his eyes as he stepped in and saw Genesis Fucking Rhapsodos standing by the Director’s desk. So much for their deal. If this was how he wanted to play it, Cloud had no intention of holding back—he’d tell the Director exactly who started this shit.

“You’re certain he’s the one?” Lazard asked, glancing between the two.

“Positive,” Genesis confirmed, extending a hand to Cloud. “Shall I prove it?”

Cloud raised a brow, looking at the man like he was crazy. “What’re you talking about?”

“You, my dear, are a catalyst.”

“A catalyst for what?” he responded, confused.

“Have you never heard the legends?”

“Obviously not…” Cloud shuffled where he stood, suddenly feeling like he was missing something important. He wasn’t in trouble, so what in the hells was happening? “Why am I here?”

“Congratulations, Strife. I’ve already drawn up the conscription paperwork,” Lazard told him, his smile awfully kind for someone who had just uttered the word _conscription._ “You’ll begin your new life as a SOLDIER starting today.”

“Wait…What?” He looked between the two, laughing because that was all he could do. They couldn’t be serious. “I’m 6 months away from leaving ShinRa. I have no interest in being a SOLDIER.”

This time as he looked between the two men, neither said a word even when he demanded an explanation. Even when he raised his voice and repeated the question with some more creative language. Instead they just exchanged a look, clearly not having expected such a response.

“I’m sorry,” Lazard said after a long delay, and it almost looked like he meant it. “Once a conscription has been enacted, it’s final. You’re a SOLDIER now, Strife.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, thank you all so much for the kind response! For the record, this fic is going to be about a lot more than Cloud and Gen bickering - I've got a whole separate fic of them butting heads for no good reason if that's what you're here for, which will be updated soon ;-) This one is going to be plot driven, and it just so happens they won't get along well initially haha...Hope you like it anyway, even as they get over themselves and work it out!

If someone had told Cloud five years ago that he would be a SOLDIER, he probably would have jumped into their arms and hugged them. He would have been happier than words could describe, assuming he even believed it because _wow, since when do dreams come true?_ Then he would have called his mom and celebrated with her on the phone, promising to come see her soon with legitimate pride in his voice.

As it stood, it had been a long five years since he came to Midgar.

He left Lazard’s office feeling oddly empty, the frustration he had initially felt so overpowering that it somehow fizzled out. No matter how many times he asked, he was told the same thing; there was no turning back now. Not when he had been conscripted, and conscriptions were required for any who got identified as a ‘catalyst’.

What the fuck did that even mean?

Apparently he would ‘understand in time’, and that was all he needed to know on the matter. Until they forced him into the mako showers, with or without his consent. First he would have to endure a rigorous training regime, required for all recruits.

Maybe he could just disappear from Midgar before that happened.

“I realize it’s not ideal,” Genesis told him, trailing after him as they exited the office and moving like he was going to give Cloud an awkward pat on the back. Thankfully he thought better of it at the last moment, retracting his hand. “My research suggested you’d be happy about this.”

“Research?” Cloud quirked a brow, not impressed. “When you came into my supply station and I told you to fuck off, was that not any kind of indication I wasn’t interested?”

“Proper research! It’s not as if I hauled you off to Lazard that day,” Genesis insisted. “I looked into your records. You put in for the program no less than—”

“Three times, I know. I was there,” Cloud said bitterly, wondering exactly how long this jerk was going to follow him. That was _before._ “I’m not interested in being a SOLDIER anymore. I don’t even wanna be in the infantry—I just wanna leave this place.”

“Would it help if I apologized?”

Cloud snorted. “Sounds really genuine when you ask first.”

“I’m not the type of man who often makes mistakes,” Genesis responded sharply. “Apologies are somewhat foreign to me.”

“No shit.” This guy…Cloud shook his head, wishing he would just take a hint and leave already. “If you really wanna help, get me out of this.”

“You’re being very dramatic. Just because you failed the entry exam a few times doesn’t mean you should simply stop trying.”

He rolled his eyes, not surprised at all that’s what a SOLDIER would think. That he was just another quitter, burnt out after a few failed attempts.

“Most would jump at this opportunity,” the redhead insisted.

“You picked the wrong guy, then,” he responded, unapologetic. “Now, unless you wanna tell me you have a way to get me out of this, can you leave me alone? I’ve got work to do.”

He sighed as Genesis followed him onto the elevator. Persistent bastard. Clearly he wasn’t used to not getting his way—or at the very least, he was used to people giving up and appeasing him.

“There’s no turning back, I’m afraid,” Genesis told him, hitting the stop button on the elevator. He folded his arms across his chest, blocking the buttons before Cloud could maneuver around him. It seemed he wouldn’t be satisfied until Cloud met his eyes, as if that would help. “You’re gifted, Cloud. What you did that day was rarer than you seem to realize.”

“You’re wrong. Plenty of people outside of SOLDIER can use magic—they just don’t have the resources like ShinRa to prove it.”

“How many of those people do you believe could summon Bahamut so easily?”

“Plenty,” he shrugged. It really hadn’t been that difficult. “Maybe half.”

“I would challenge that claim. Bahamut is demanding on his best day—untamed on his worst,” Genesis told him firmly. “Only a worthy master could manage, especially without any equipment or enhancements.”

“A catalyst?” Cloud assumed, rolling his eyes when Genesis nodded. “But I’m not allowed to know what that is?”

“You won’t understand. Not until you’ve undergone proper training.”

Right, because he was just in the infantry so of course he wouldn’t ‘understand’. Just like he couldn’t spell and couldn’t cast a basic spell. This guy…Cloud shook his head, astounded by all the ridiculous assumptions. What a jackass.

“Well, you know where to find me when it’s time for that, I guess,” Cloud said, and it seemed like Genesis was finally getting the hint. He started the elevator back up, letting Cloud select his floor. “When do I have to report in?”

“Tomorrow, 0700 hours.”

“Commanding officer?”

“You’ll find things work differently in SOLDIER. You won’t have a direct supervisor, so to speak.”

Cloud frowned. That sounded pretty stupid for a military organization. “Okay? So where do I go?”

“The training facilities, for now. You’ll be with the other recruits running drills. I suspect it’s not much different than what you did upon entry into the Infantry.”

Boot camp. He had to bite back a groan, not impressed at all. “What happens if I don’t show up?”

“Surely you know what happens to deserters.”

“It’s not really deserting if I’m in the building still.”

“Do you truly intend to test the difference?”

Cloud fixed him with a look. This guy didn’t get it still, apparently, and Cloud was done trying to explain. Instead he just walked off, headed back to his supply station. Afterall, he still had a job to do, SOLDIER or not.

\--

It only took three consecutive days of skipping ‘training’ for Genesis to storm into the supply station, his boots obnoxiously loud on the tile floor.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding,” he accused, hands on his hips. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”

“I literally get paid to be here,” Cloud reminded him. “Doesn’t exactly count as hiding.”

“You’re no longer in the infantry. This post isn’t yours to man anymore.”

Cloud shrugged. “I’m staying until they can replace me with someone decent.”

“You’re a SOLDIER now. You have no need—”

“What, am I _above_ this position now? I’m too good to do something as menial as handing out supplies?”

Genesis sighed, dramatic as always. “I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to. I got your message loud and clear. Now, if you’re not here to check anything in or out, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.”

“You have no authority to send me away.”

Cloud pointed at his sign, dependable as always. Section 11, Subsection C—only personnel intending to use the supply station to requisition supplies were authorized to remain in the supply station. It was actually intended to prohibit any soliciting or hiding out to avoid tasks or duties, but it seemed to work just fine for this purpose as well.

“I’m gonna have to ask you to leave, _sir,”_ Cloud told him, smirking as the man huffed and stormed out as loudly as he had stormed in.

Something told him Genesis wouldn’t give up so easily.

\--

Genesis showed up the next day. And the next, and the next. He left just as displeased each day, despite coming in with a new approach each time.

_“Are you aware of the raise you’ll be receiving? It’s quite significant.”_

Cloud didn’t care much about that. There were more important things in life than gil, and he had told Genesis as much. Leave it to a SOLDIER not to understand that.

_“You’ll have access to the finest materials. Think of it—Bahamut would be at your disposal.”_

It was true that while technically Cloud could summon Bahamut as an infantryman, he wasn’t authorized to check him out. Only the most basic of summons could be utilized by infantrymen because apparently a SOLDIER’s needs were greater for the rarer types. Permission didn’t do him any good if the materia was never turned back in though, which he had kindly reminded the redhead.

_“Have you considered the missions you’ll be eligible for? You’ll get to see the world!”_

That was actually Genesis’ strongest tactic, but it didn’t stop Cloud from snapping back that he had already gotten to see a good chunk of the world in the infantry. It wasn’t like enhancements would make it look any different, probably. The main difference was that he would get sent places where the infantry wasn’t allowed, like the North Crater or the Bottom of the Sea—not that he would admit his interest to Genesis.

All in all, he had successfully brushed the SOLDIER off each day and then gone back to his reading without too many additional disruptions. There were a few other SOLDIERs who stopped in, but they weren’t there to convince him of anything. They wanted supplies, and they seemed to think now that he was ‘one of them’ he would be more willing to ‘help a buddy out’.

Were they not listening all these weeks when Cloud told them _no?_ Did they really think they were buddies now that he was technically a SOLDIER too? They even tried bribing him—promising to take him under their wing, or to show him the ‘tricks of the trade’.

Whatever. He didn’t need nor want their help.

Luckily word must have spread that he still wasn’t so easy to persuade into breaking supply rules because he was having his first quiet day in ages. Hours had passed without interruption, giving him time to sink further and further into his book.

Engineering really was so cool. Just because they were trying to take it away from him didn’t mean he couldn’t teach himself a few things. There had to be some kind of opportunity here in Midgar, just waiting for him to find it.

Unfortunately, the sound of boots on the tile caught his ears again, and he knew it was time for another interruption. This time when he looked up, it wasn’t who he was expecting at all.

Zack Fair. Cloud met his friend’s eyes, less than pleased. That traitor. He could tell by the look in his eyes exactly why Zack was here, and it wasn’t for small talk or supplies. He was on a damn assignment.

“What, they decided it was time to send in the big guns?”

“Is that what they’re callin’ me now?” Zack asked with a wide grin, curling one of his biceps to show off his ‘guns’.

“Hells no, but they must think you’re something special if they think you’ll be the one to convince me to go peacefully.”

“Well, I _am_ your friend. That does make me kinda special, doesn’t it?”

Cloud smiled despite himself. There was no way he could pull his usual shit—not with Zack. This guy had helped him too much over the years, literally saving his ass on more than one joint operation. They’d hit it off after a few rounds together, and he hadn’t looked back since. They were friends somehow, despite the odds.

Most SOLDIERs didn’t associate with anyone in the infantry outside of missions. Zack Fair was just one of a kind, or at least that’s how Cloud always saw him.

“What do you want?”

“You know what I want,” Zack responded, his light expression sobering up in a hurry. “You’re gonna get yourself in trouble, Spike. It’s not worth it.”

“Under the rules of conscription, I get 30 days to get my affairs in order before I have to report,” Cloud told his friend, shrugging. It was like Genesis forgot he could read, too—did they really think he wouldn’t look it up? “I’m not doing anything wrong.”

“Manning your old post is how you sort your shit out?”

“Uh, yeah. What do you think would happen to this place if I weren’t here?”

“They’d pick someone else?” Zack guessed, raising a brow. “Yeah, they wouldn’t be as good as you, but it’s not like they’d just lock up and call it a day. And since when do you take so much pride in this job?”

“Since they tried to take it away from me without asking.”

“So that’s it, huh? I get it—Gen told me what happened, and you’re right, it’s not cool. He and Lazard talked it out though,” Zack told him slowly. “You’ve been on Lazard’s radar for years now. He thought he was doin’ you a favor.”

“Did he ask you about it before doing this to me?”

“Nah. Why would he? You’ve gone for it like six times.”

“Three,” Cloud corrected, raising a pointed finger. “And two of them don’t count. I was a kid!”

“Look, I get it. I _know_ you,” Zack said softly. “Doesn’t change the facts. You’re in now, like it or not. If you keep this up, you’re gonna land in jail.”

“Not if I disappear first.”

“Right, spend your life with a death warrant hanging over your head for deserting. Sounds fun.”

Cloud frowned. “These are the kinda people you work for. Why would you want me to go along willingly?”

“It’s not as bad as you think,” Zack insisted. “Yeah, there’s some fucked up things that happen, but the same’s true in a lot of jobs. Sometimes you just gotta stop and look for the _good._ I help people, Spike. A lotta people. That ain’t so bad in my book.”

He had a point, as usual, but that didn’t mean Cloud had to agree so easily. Zack was special. Not all SOLDIERs were as honest and good intentioned. Not all SODLIERs wanted to be _heroes._ Most just wanted the glory of it. The title. The name. They were basically high paid, over enhanced infantrymen with an equally enhanced ego.

They didn’t stop to question orders or decisions. They just rushed in, sword in hand, and they _took._ Whatever it was they were after, they would take it without hesitation. There were exceptions of course, like the man in front of him, but they were few and far between.

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Cloud started, shaking his head at his friend—he truly did admire Zack, and he didn’t want to insult him, “I don’t wanna be like you. Not anymore.”

“This is about what happened in Banora, isn’t it?”

“I don’t wanna talk about that!”

“Yeah, well, too bad,” Zack told him, folding his arms across his chest. “I thought you were past this.”

He snorted, definitely not _past_ anything. It was one of his joint operations with Zack, and it wasn’t one he would ever forget. They had gone in for simple investigation, and they’d barely made it out alive. The town itself hadn’t been so lucky.

“ShinRa’s not a good company,” Cloud said flatly, done talking about this. “I’m not saying you’re a bad person, or that what _you_ do is bad, but there’s a bigger picture. I don’t wanna be a part of SOLDIER, or anything that has to do with ShinRa.”

“I know. You had plans.”

“Big plans! Cid’s not gonna be happy if I bail on him.”

“Yeah, and we don’t wanna make him any grumpier.”

“Exactly.”

“Too bad the Turks will have you in cuffs before you make it to the Western Continent.”

Cloud sighed, already knowing that. The truth was, deserting wasn’t an option and that was why he hadn't bothered to try just yet. ShinRa had a way with people, that was for sure—once someone had you in their grasp, they wouldn’t let go so easily. It really would boil down to jail time at best or the death penalty at worst depending on how he chose to play this out. Right now all he could do was weigh his options.

“I’ll do what I have to do to stay out of jail. Doesn’t mean I have to be good at my job though,” he decided, trying not to laugh at Zack’s shit eating grin. “Don’t give me that look!”

“Lazard shoulda let me come see you day one,” Zack declared, flashing his ‘guns’ around some more. “I knew I could talk you into this.”

“You’re about to talk me out of it again.”

“Liar! You’re excited ‘cause it means you get to see more of me.”

“I’m excited because that means our business conversation has ended, which means I get to ask you to leave.”

“What if I need new boots?”

Cloud scoffed. “Too bad. You hit your limit for the year.”

“But they’re all scoffed up now.”

“You’re a SOLDIER. Get over it.”

“Yeah, but just ‘cause I’m a SOLDIER doesn’t mean I need to have scoffed up boots when I’m home. I could have one pair for missions and one for the tower,” Zack told him, a serious look on his face—luckily for him, Cloud knew he was joking, or this wouldn’t end well. “Can’t you hook a buddy up?”

“I can hook you up with a boot to the face if you’re not careful.”

“Ouch, Spike. I’m hurt!”

Cloud snorted. “Yeah, well, that’s what you get for asking for special treatment. You know I have to treat everyone consistently.”

“Hey, what’d you do anyway?” Zack wondered, raking a hand through his hair. It looked like he must have been holding the question back, and the curiosity had finally bubbled up too high to stop. “I’ve been training with you for years now. I was _there_ when you went for the entry exam last time.”

When they told him maybe it was time to stop trying. Never in his life had he felt as defeated as he did that day, but he’d come to look back on it as a blessing in disguise. After all the shit he’d seen since then—all the mission he had endured. It must have seemed so strange for Zack, having been there by his side through so much of it.

“I’ve always been okay with materia,” Cloud reminded him slowly.

“More than okay.”

Cloud narrowed his eyes. “I can’t even manage the casts half the time.”

“Yeah, ‘cause you’re too far into your own head about it. Who the hell did you cast in front of that went and got you _conscripted?”_

“Uh. Genesis Rhapsodos.”

Zack barked out a laugh, looking at him like he was crazy before laughing some more when he realized it was the truth. “Let me get this straight…you went and cast a spell—”

“A summon,” Cloud interjected.

“A summon. You cast a _summon_ in front of Gen, and you’re complaining you ended up in this situation?”

“I was proving a damn point to him. He thinks he can just walk in here and take what he wants just because he can summon Bahamut,” Cloud huffed, shaking his head. “He’s not the only one who can do that.”

“Uh, he’s pretty close to the only one, actually.”

“Apparently not.”

Zack laughed a bit more before he seemed to realize, “Wait, you summoned _Bahamut?”_

“Well, yeah. He was being rude.”

Zack just laughed again and again every time he nearly stopped. Eventually Cloud couldn’t help joining him, the whole thing _a bit_ ridiculous. It didn’t help that Zack’s laughter truly was contagious, especially once he got into it.

“You realize this is your own damn fault, right?” Zack asked as he was winding down, still chuckling a bit.

“Maybe in retrospect. At the time, I just wanted him to shut up.”

“Lesson number one, then,” Zack told him, holding up a finger. “Don’t cast shit in front of Gen if you want him to shut up.”

“Do you have a better idea?”

Zack tilted his head, mulling it over. “If you ignore him long enough, he’ll huff and storm off on his own.”

Something told him Genesis wasn’t an easy man to _ignore,_ but he filed the advice away in his mind with the intention of trying it out as needed. It sounded like he would be seeing a lot of that particular SOLDIER, so any ideas of how to deal with him could be helpful.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm still really floored by the response to this fic. Thank you all again so much! I feel like I should reiterate, Gen and Cloud bickering is not the main focus of this story even if it's a major thing right now haha - there's more going on here! Gen will keep being Gen, and Cloud will continue to be a stubborn little shit, but yeah. Hopefully y'all will find it entertaining even after they find common ground.
> 
> Anyway. I have this pattern in my fics where I'm obsessed with Cloud and materia, and it becomes a thing regardless of what the story's actually about. This fic should be similar in that regard...I've got a few new ideas, but there will also be an old headcanon featured here that you may recognize from one of my other fics as well. I try not to recycle too many of my old ideas, but if you bear with me, it's going to have a whole new twist. I just have to lay the foundation out in this chapter before moving forward.

Thirty days. Cloud waited out each and every one of his allotted days until he was legally obligated to report for duty, keenly aware he was being watched each time he left ShinRa Tower. It seemed the Turks had been ‘tipped’ that he might run off, which was more than a little amusing.

If they wanted to waste their time following him, he wasn’t going to stop them. Not when they were wasting his time forcing him to be a SOLDIER. And if he happened to slip into a few sex shops and miscellaneous stores he didn’t usually frequent just to keep them on their toes?

Well, that’s what they get for following him. It was only fair they were forced into an equally uncomfortable situation if they wanted to watch his every move.

He found himself outside of Lazard’s office when his time was finally up, surprised to hear he had already been ‘penciled in’ for a meeting. Either Zack reported in about how his mission to convince Cloud to go in peacefully was a success, or they had planned to drag him here officially this afternoon. Probably the latter, but who knew? He tapped his foot as he sat there waiting his turn, surprisingly anxious about the whole thing.

SOLDIER. They had been calling him one for the entire month—everyone knew he was ‘one of them’ now, enhancements or not. For the first time, it was beginning to feel very real and he didn’t quite know what to think of that.

“He’ll see you now,” the secretary announced, buzzing him into the room.

Cloud muttered a thank you, figuring it wasn’t some secretary’s fault he was in this mess, and then walked in to see the Director.

“Have a seat, Cloud,” Lazard offered, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. Thankfully there were no signs of Genesis this time, and he found it much more comfortable to sit down. “How have you been?”

“Fine. I got to train my replacement at the supply station,” he said with a small grin, knowing Lazard didn’t really care for the details. “He’s a gunman, too. I think he’ll keep your SOLDIERs in line.”

“They aren’t just my SOLDIERS. They’re your peers now,” Lazard reminded him sharply. “They have been for some time now.”

“Not officially.”

“The paperwork was finalized a month ago.”

“And I had 30 days to report in,” Cloud shrugged, unapologetic. He offered a two-finger salute from his chair. “Cloud Strife, reporting for duty.”

“I was warned you may be somewhat bitter still. Had I known you had no interest—”

“You would have conscripted me anyway,” he finished, raising a challenging brow. “I read up on it. You had no choice when Genesis told you what I did.”

“Perhaps you’re right. It’s never my intention to force anyone unwilling into the program though,” Lazard insisted, and Cloud almost believed it. The man looked well and truly apologetic despite it all, even if that apology didn’t amount to anything. “You understand what a conscription is, then?”

“You drafted me.”

“In other words, yes. SOLDIER is a lifelong commitment.”

“The real question is, why? Everything I pulled up said you can only swing a conscription in times of war. Last I checked, the war ended,” Cloud mused, hoping to get to the point. The events in Wutai had come and gone years back, and there hadn’t been so much as a rumble since then. “Is there something happening I should know about?”

“Not exactly. If you read the stipulations carefully, we’re also authorized to recruit anyone with your unique skillset.”

That was one way to put it, Cloud thought, frowning. Everything he had read was a bit vague on that front, not mentioning the word _catalyst_ even once. Naturally that had been his next mission, but all he had found was the dictionary definition of the word. Not very helpful at all.

He fiddled with his thumbs, not sure what else to say at this point. “So…can I skip the whole boot camp thing?”

“Why would I allow that?”

“We both know the infantry runs a real boot camp,” Cloud said flatly, and despite Lazard’s raised brow there was no disagreement. It was a well-known fact. Infantrymen never received any enhancements, so they _really_ got pushed to their limits. SOLDIER training pre-mako was a bit of a joke from what Zack told him. “I’m not saying there won’t be hard work after the enhancements, but it’s kind of insulting to have to go through boot camp when I’ve already proven myself on that front.”

“Will you be more amenable to the program, if I allow it?”

“Define amenable.”

“Will you follow orders?”

Smart to ask before sending him to the showers, he supposed, because then they stood the risk of having him run rampant _as_ a SOLDIER. Something told him that saying no wouldn’t quite get him out of this though.

“As long as your orders aren’t bad, sure.”

Lazard eyed him pensively, like he was calculating the risk. A smart move, Cloud thought, because frankly—he meant every damn word. If the orders sucked, he wouldn’t obey even if that landed him in a cell. SOLDIERs were probably a lot trickier to lock up than the average trooper.

After a long pause, Lazard nodded. “Very well. You’re authorized to skip basic training under the stipulation that you won’t give your mentor any hassle during your preliminary training.”

“…Mentor?”

“Yes. You’ll find SOLDIER follows a very different structure than the Army. You won’t train in a unit or anything of the sort. SOLDIERs are partnered up with someone in their class to learn the basics.”

Cloud frowned, not quite sure what that meant. Unless he was misunderstanding, that meant beginners would teach fellow beginners. SOLDIER really didn’t make any sense. “Aren’t new recruits Third Class?”

“Not necessarily.”

“Oh,” he muttered, staring at the Director as he tried to figure out what that even meant. Nothing about SOLDIER seemed to parallel what he was accustomed to in the infantry. “So…Are you gonna tell me then? Or you want me to keep guessing?”

Lazard slid a paper across his desk, gesturing for Cloud to take a look at it. At least this guy seemed to understand he could read—that he wasn’t completely incompetent. He scooted his chair forward, blinking in surprise as he realized what it was.

A nondisclosure agreement. This was not the first time ShinRa personnel had handed him one of these in his career, almost eerily protective of their ‘secrets’. Something in his gut told him it wouldn’t be the last time either.

“What exactly is it that I’m not disclosing this time?” Cloud asked, arching a brow.

“Everything related to the program. Your training, your missions—the ins and outs of what it takes to be a SOLDIER. You’re not to discuss the rank structure, among other things. Do you understand?”

Cloud rolled his eyes, understanding all too well. Everything was a ‘company secret’ to these people, apparently. Gaia forbid anyone else tried to make their own super soldiers. They probably reserved the right to kill anyone who leaked any information that would help in such an endeavor.

“I get it. I can keep my mouth shut.”

“Then you won’t mind signing.”

He took the pen Lazard handed him before signing his life away, sure that there was a lot more weight to this paper than just the non-disclosure bit. As he read it through, there was no mention that this contract legally made him a member of the program, but he knew better.

This was ShinRa.

“About the conscription,” Cloud started, waiting for Lazard to nod for him to continue, “You said you drew up the paperwork and there was no turning back, but I didn’t sign anything for that.”

“Your signature isn’t required for a conscription.”

“Why would you want someone who doesn’t want to be here? In the infantry it’s one thing, but this is SOLDIER we’re talking about.”

“There are certain types of talent we cannot ignore,” Lazard told him solemnly. “Had I known you were so vehemently against it, I may have considered an alternative, but as it stands it’s far too late. You’re a SOLDIER now.”

The words hit him just as hard as they did the first time Lazard had said as much, knocking the frustration right out of him. It was just too much—it was like the reality of it was heavy, weighing him down where he sat to the point where it was just plain uncomfortable.

“What do you do to SOLDIERs who don’t cooperate?”

“I’d rather you didn’t discover the answer to that question,” Lazard responded, like it was so simple.

They probably put them down, Cloud realized, his instincts telling him as much. How they did it was up in the air, but surely the people who created these enhancements knew their weaknesses better than anyone else. Or, if all else failed, they could send in other SOLDIERs to do their dirty work like they did in the field.

“I’m not afraid of all that,” Cloud decided, meeting Lazard’s eyes with strengthening resolve. “If you try to make me do anything I don’t think is right, I won’t give a damn.”

“I think you’ve gotten the wrong impression of our company at some point in your career. It’s not good for business if we force our strongest teams to do things they question.”

“Then maybe you have assholes working for you who don’t stop and ask the questions.”

“I’ve pulled your file,” Lazard said conversationally. “You were with Zack Fair in Banora.”

He narrowed his eyes, not ready to go there. “I don’t wanna talk about that.”

“It was an unfortunate incident. What you saw there—”

Lead to him signing his very first non-disclosure agreement for the company. “I’m not interested. I put that shit behind me.”

“Yes, well…” Lazard let out a drawn-out sigh, like he was finally at a loss for what to say. “There’s more to SOLDIER than what you witnessed there.”

Cloud shifted where he sat, trying to ignore the shiver that ran down his spine at the memories. Granted most of that had been the Turks…it still didn’t sit well with him.

“So, you said something about a mentor?” Cloud asked, ready to change the subject. “Can I pick someone?”

Because partnering up with Zack sounded like the best idea, if he was given the option. Judging by the look on Lazard’s face, it wouldn’t be so simple.

“There are three classifications in SOLDIER—First, Second, or Third,” Lazard explained, folding his hands on his desk as he held Cloud’s gaze. “We call them classes for short. You’ll be joining the Third Class.”

Cloud nodded along. Sounded easy enough. “Okay. What else, then?”

“You’re classified based on your skill set. I’m aware of your friendship with Zack, but he’s Second Class—it wouldn’t do any good for him to mentor you. His specialty is swordplay.”

So the second ‘classification’ was for SOLDIERs good with a sword. Cloud furrowed his brows, quickly realizing, “So the Third Class is for casters, then?”

“Correct.”

“What’s First Class for?”

“Leadership. First Class SOLDIERs are the few that stand out from the rest in their class—those who oversee the rest. Commander Rhapsodos, for example, is a First Class SOLDIER. He oversees the entirety of the Third Class.”

Cloud groaned, not sure why he was surprised to hear that. He had seen the word ‘commander’ on the man’s file, but something about the way they bickered made it easy to forget that guy held any kind of authority. Commanders weren’t supposed to be petulant, like children.

“Who oversees them, then?”

“Sephiroth oversees the First Class, reporting directly to me,” Lazard responded simply. “Commander Hewley oversees the Second Class.”

“He’s a cool guy,” Cloud said, smiling a bit. He had only met Angeal once or twice now, but he was kind every single time. Plus the stories he had heard, from Zack and from personnel all around the Tower. Angeal never missed the chance to help someone out, regardless of what branch of the company they worked for. If all SOLDIERs were like that, he probably wouldn’t have such a bad impression of the program. “I’d rather work for him.”

“When it comes to casting, there’s no one better than Commander Rhapsodos.”

And they both knew his swordplay left much to be desired—at least based off his last attempt to join the program. It had gotten better since then, but something told him not to bother arguing with this one. It already felt like he was pushing his luck, trying to make demands from the _Director of SOLDIER._ This was the man Sephiroth reported to, and Cloud? He was no one in comparison.

“So does he pick my mentor, then?”

“Correct.”

He bit back his next groan, sure that couldn’t be a good thing. It wasn’t like he had made best friends with the guy, and honestly, he was used to his commanding officers liking him. They didn’t always see eye to eye, but they generally understood Cloud was going to do things right—that he didn’t take shit, and he could get a job done.

Genesis Rhapsodos didn’t seem like the kind of person who cared about things like that.

“Did he already pick someone?”

The director shook his head. “Not that I’m aware of. It’s at his discretion—I only get involved if there’s an issue.”

Right. This was the part where he got dismissed, then, and ended up reporting to Genesis. At least that part was familiar, the semblance of a chain of command. He wiped his hands on his knees, surprised to find they were shaking slightly. Apparently he was more stressed out than he allowed himself to realize about all this.

“Should I go now?”

“Not just yet. Commander Rhapsodos will be joining us shortly,” he explained, much to Cloud’s dismay. Lazard called his secretary, the door buzzing open a moment later. He could hear Genesis walking into the room, his boots as obnoxious and loud as ever. It took all his willpower not to cringe.

“What, no salute?”

Cloud gritted his teeth, not even turning around.

“Remember our deal, Cloud,” Lazard said, his eyes filled with expectation as Genesis stopped to the right of Cloud’s seat. “It’s not too late to arrange your attendance at our training camp.”

“How long does that usually last?”

“Six weeks.”

Genesis looked pretty smug about that as Cloud glanced over at him, and suddenly it was all very simple. “I’ll go to camp,” he decided, looking back over at Lazard.

“Cloud—” Lazard started, looking less than pleased.

“You seriously expect me to work for this guy?” All bets were off as he looked back at Genesis again, the very sight of him irritating at the moment. “This is ridiculous. If you wanted Shiva that badly—”

“This isn’t about Shiva or any of your precious supplies,” Genesis snapped, effectively silencing him. There was a severe look in his eyes, his gaze sharp as he met Cloud’s. “If you expect further sympathy from me, you’ll be sorely disappointed. I’ve tolerated your poor attitude long enough.”

“Poor attitude?” Cloud snorted, barely even getting started. “You ruined my life. I think I’m entitled to a crappy attitude.”

Genesis huffed. “And they call _me_ dramatic. Honestly, there are far worse things than—”

“Tell me all about it in six weeks. I’ve got some training to do.”

Genesis’ gaze seemed to sharpen, but Cloud met it head on without so much as a blink. Even Lazard’s tired sigh couldn’t break their stare off, nor did his words. Something about how they would have to learn to work together eventually, so they may as well figure it out now. As if it were so simple.

Maybe in six weeks he would be so burnt out from training that he just wouldn’t care enough to argue with this asshole. For now, he still had plenty of fight left in him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for all the support! I'm glad so many people are interested in seeing where this is going. Honestly, this chapter is kind of a transition chapter and a lot of things go by very quickly. The next chapter is where it'll slow down as Cloud really starts his new life. I'll post more as soon as possible!

As it turned out, he still had plenty of energy when he was done with his training.

It was slightly more rigorous than he had expected, completing mostly physical drills in the tower’s extensive training grounds from sunrise to sunset nearly every day, but he was right to assume the infantry boot camp was more extreme. Not once had he felt sure of defeat, nor had he doubted whether he’d make it through.

The finish line was always in sight, even on the days when his peers were burnt out and ready to quit.

“I can’t believe we did it!” one of his fellow new recruits exclaimed, pulling him into an unnecessarily sweaty hug. Cloud returned it despite himself, finding he couldn’t hold a grudge against _everyone_ involved in the program. The guys he had trained with were actually pretty cool all things considered, though he wouldn’t be admitting that to just anyone. “We’re real SOLDIERs now!”

“We’ve gotta hit the showers first,” the other recruit, Gabe, reminded them both.

Not the regular showers either, though that didn’t seem like such a bad idea right now. They were being ushered away from the training grounds before he could think too much about that, their SOLDIER overseers splitting them up without saying much about what was happening next.

It didn’t take an expert to figure it out. The other two were guided away by SOLDIERs in blue, while he was suddenly in the company of one in burgundy. They were Seconds, then—a topic that hadn’t come up in their training. Who knew if they would end up working together again now that training was complete? Not that it particularly bothered Cloud either way, but it was kind of nice to know there were some SOLDIERs out there who weren’t complete assholes.

“You’re probably wondering what’s happening,” the SOLDIER by his side said, motioning for him to follow along.

“Not really,” Cloud shrugged.

“Well, I’m going to tell you anyway.”

“Why’re you wearing a helmet?”

“That’s seriously your only question right now?”

“I dispensed a lot of uniforms when I was in charge of supplies,” Cloud responded casually. Well, not really _a lot—_ he only gave them out based on regs, and most people didn’t need a spare. But still. “I didn’t hand out a single helmet.”

“It’s not required. I just prefer it,” he explained with a slight grin. The SOLDIER extended a hand to Cloud who shook it reluctantly. “I’m Kunsel. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Cloud racked his brain, trying to place the name. It must have been Zack who mentioned it, but he couldn’t quite recall—Zack talked about _a lot_ of people, so it was hard to keep track.

“I know you’re not thrilled to be here,” Kunsel continued, not skipping a beat, “but it’s not so bad. You can do a lot of good in this job if you want.” _Or get away with being a complete jerk for no reason,_ Cloud figured, snorting to himself. “I know what you’re thinking, but you should keep an open mind. People around here might surprise you.”

“Right,” he muttered, disinterested. “So, what’s next?”

“We’re going to the labs,” Kunsel responded. “It’s time for your first shower.”

“Why the separation, then? Aren’t we all doing the same thing?”

Kunsel didn’t answer at first, instead waiting until they were in the elevator and the door was closed. “They’re going to be exposed gradually. It’ll be a few weeks before they’re ready.”

“But not me?”

“Nah. You’re a Third—your mako tolerance is higher.”

“How do you know that?”

“Commander Rhapsodos said so,” Kunsel said, like it was so simple. Cloud scoffed at that, much to the SOLDIER’s amusement. “So it’s true, then? You didn’t want to be a SOLDIER?”

“I wanted to get the hell outta this place.”

“I’ve never heard of someone who didn’t _want_ to be a SOLDIER.”

“Yeah, well. Here I am.” Cloud wasn’t quite sure what else to say at this point, all the bitterness he had been trying to suppress coming back in waves. This was really his life now, all because some asshole wanted to check out two summons at a time. “So I get doused in mako…then what?”

“You stay in the labs, just in case you have some kinda reaction to it. Thirds don’t usually.”

“Why’s that?”

“If you’re adept with materia already, you must’ve already been exposed at some point in your life. That’s all materia is—condensed mako.”

Right, like that was supposed to make sense. Cloud just hummed in agreement, not sure what else he could say at this point. By the time the elevator doors were open, he was trailing along, his attitude plummeting with every step.

This was really it. Sure, he’d had some time now to accept his reality, but it hadn’t quite felt as real as it did stepping into the clinical confines of the lab. Everything about the place had the hair on his arms standing up, his back stiff and guard up higher than it had been since his last mission in the field. Everything about this place felt wrong.

“It’s not so bad. Mostly, it tingles and then you break things.”

Cloud quirked a brow. “Break things?”

“You’ll see. It kind of…overloads your senses. You get used to it, but it’s a lot at first.” Kunsel straightened out as they walked inside, his posture at attention. It wasn’t until he heard the familiar sound of boots on the cold floor that he knew why. All SOLDIERs wore boots, but only one seemed to walk with just the right amount of purpose to annoy Cloud. “Commander.”

“How many times must I tell you not to stand at attention?” Genesis sighed dramatically, which Kunsel seemed to take as a cue to relax a bit. “Did he pass?”

“I’m right here, you know. You could ask me.”

Genesis’ gaze turned to him, amused. “Suddenly you’re willing to hold a civilized conversation with me?”

“Not really. Doesn’t mean I can’t answer a simple question."

“He passed, sir,” Kunsel answered, clearly taken aback by the sudden spike in hostility in the room. “I was told to bring him here for his first mako treatment.”

“I’ll take it from here.”

“Sir?”

Genesis raised a brow. “Was I unclear?”

“No, it’s just you never—” Kunsel cut himself off when the redhead’s stare sharpened. “Should I come back later?”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Kunsel glanced between the two curiously, but seemed to think better of asking another question. Instead he gave Cloud an amicable pat on the back before saying his farewell to the two, exiting the lab without further delay.

“You don’t normally come check on new recruits,” Cloud deduced, raising a brow when Genesis didn’t deny it. “What makes me any different from the rest?”

“That’s yet to be determined,” Genesis answered, guiding Cloud into the next room before he could think to object. It almost felt like a hospital room—there was a single bed, a counter, sink…he watched curiously as Genesis washed his hands before putting on medical gloves, the look not suiting him one bit.

“What’re you—” he tried to ask, eyes widening as Genesis pulled out a syringe from one of the drawers next. “I thought the next step was a shower?”

“Typically, it would be,” Genesis responded, filling the syringe with a strange green liquid without sparing him a glance. “You’re a special case.”

“Are you even qualified to—”

Genesis scowled. “You should be thanking me for volunteering to be here. Clearly you haven’t met Hojo if you think _I’m_ unpleasant.”

“It’s not about who’s pleasant when you’re trying to perform a medical—”

“I’ve done this countless times,” Genesis attempted to assure him, moving in as if his word were on par with a medical degree.

He was at Cloud’s side before the blond could jump to his feet, holding his arm steady with an immovable grip. The needle was in before Cloud could blink or attempt to shake him off, and _holy shit,_ he felt it.

“Are you crazy?”

“Hardly.”

“That hurt!” Cloud scowled, holding a hand over his arm where Genesis had injected him. Hurt was a bit of an understatement—his entire bicep was throbbing, not just where he’d been poked. “What the hell is that stuff?”

Genesis' eyes swept him up and down cautiously, like he was waiting for a worse reaction as he answered, “Mako.”

“Yeah, _and?”_

“And nothing. It’s mako in its purest form.”

“You’re such an asshole,” he grumbled, cursing more than a few times in his head. The showers sounded a lot better now—Hells, _anything_ sounded better than this. “I feel like my arm’s gonna fall off.”

“Welcome to SOLDIER.”

Cloud cringed. “Why’re you yelling?”

“I’d say it’s working its way through your system rather quickly if you already think I’m yelling.”

_“Shit.”_

This stuff was more potent than he realized, every sound in the room reverberating through his body in the strangest way. He understood what Kunsel meant about breaking things rather quickly, his hands gripping the rails on the mattress and bending them in a way that shouldn’t have even been possible. There was something very wrong with all of this. Cloud curled into himself on the mattress, realizing with a start that it was probably better if he just _didn’t_ touch things if that was how it was going to be. What the fuck. His arm was still throbbing and he could practically _feel_ the mako burning through his veins as it seeped into his blood stream. 

“You won’t be able to stay like that.” Genesis voice sounded strange, but not quite as obnoxious or loud as before. “I’m not as cruel as you seem to believe.”

“You sound different.”

“I’m whispering. If I spoke normally, it would exacerbate—”

Cloud waved him off, cringing again at the way Genesis’ sharp tone seemed to bother him just as much. “Are you just gonna stand there and watch me be miserable all day?”

“Hardly. I have better things to do than spend my day here.”

“It’s not like I asked you to be here.”

“You won’t be like this all day,” Genesis responded quietly, ignoring his statement. “It’ll be unbearable for an hour, perhaps two given your circumstances. After that, I’ll escort you to your new quarters and you’ll enter your adjustment period.”

“What’s that mean?” Cloud asked, not so sure he wanted to know.

“Think of it like a vacation as you get used to your new abilities.”

Abilities. Being a SOLDIER was so weird. Clearly mako wasn’t intended for this type of use, otherwise it wouldn’t hurt so damn much. His arm was numb now where he had been injected, but the rest of him felt like he was about to catch fire. If he had been told _this_ is what it felt like to be a SOLDIER, he definitely would have been halfway to Rocket Town by now, consequences be damned.

“Truly remarkable.”

Before he could glare over at his ‘commander’, he cried out, the pain of it all too much. The last thing he remembered before blacking out was a burning red behind his eyes as they fluttered closed.

\-----

By the time Cloud came to, he felt much better. It was almost eerie, like the memory of the pain had been nothing more than a dream. He felt sharper—like he could see better and hear better. Like nothing could stop him, which made it even harder to believe that he had been crying out in pain on some hospital bed in the labs. It was all a blur as he thought back. The sensations he swore he felt. The flashes of red blinding his vision every time he tried to open his eyes. The soothing words he swore he heard every time he called out in distress.

Maybe the whole thing was a dream—some crazy hallucination induced by the drug.

He was already in a room he could only assume was his own when he woke up, blinking his eyes in confusion as he assessed his new surroundings from his mattress. It wasn’t so different from the barracks…a bed, dresser, desk. Nothing fancy, nothing extra—not even a kitchen, which he could only assume meant he would be eating in the SOLDIER equivalent of the chow hall. Definitely just like the barracks, he confirmed with a nod. The main difference was, it was in ShinRa Tower rather than off site, which made something prickle beneath his skin when he thought about it.

Gaia, he wanted to get the fuck out of here.

“You’re free to come and go as you please.”

Cloud nearly jumped at the voice, surprised to see _Genesis fucking Rhapsodos_ sitting in the corner of his room reading a book like it was no big deal. “What’re you doing here?”

“How do you think you arrived here?” Genesis countered, too damn pompous to put his book down and look Cloud in the eye. Instead he just flipped to the next page like it was nothing. “You’re my responsibility, like it or not.”

“Were you here the whole time?” Cloud wondered, raking a hand through his hair.

“Yes,” Genesis answered disinterestedly. “It goes without saying I’d rather be elsewhere.”

“Yeah, but didn’t Kunsel say—”

“You’re a special case. Not many recruits are given the injection.”

He shuffled forward on the mattress, eyeing the man with confusion. “Why me, then?”

“You required a higher dosage than the showers allow. You’re already proficient with materia—that means one of two things.”

“I was exposed to mako at some point?”

“I suppose Kunsel told you as much,” Genesis sighed, closing his book. He didn’t move from where he sat, staring up at Cloud intently. “Did you have a reactor in your home town?”

“Yeah.”

“Then, yes, you were exposed. There’s more to the situation, though. Not just anyone could call Bahamut with such little effort. You’re a catalyst.”

He rolled his eyes at that. “You keep saying, but not what it means.”

“You’ll understand in due time. For now, it’s more important you adjust to your new life,” Genesis told him, finally rising to his feet. “You’ll need to report for your mentor assignment in one week’s time. For now, focus on adjusting to your new abilities.”

He quirked a brow, wondering what in Gaia that could mean. He felt better than ever, really. It wasn’t until he hopped off his mattress more quickly than should have been possible and landed with a thud that shook the entire room that he kind of understood.

What the hell…Being a SOLDIER was weird.

“Okay,” he muttered, the empty room and lack of breakables suddenly making a lot more sense. “You can get outta here, you know.”

“I intend to. If you have any difficulties, you’ll find Kunsel’s contact information on your desk.” He rose to his feet with an annoying amount of elegance, holding Cloud’s gaze even as it narrowed. “You’ll find a list of supplies as well. You’ll need a uniform, among other things.”

“I can handle it.”

“Right. Well, I suppose I should take my leave then,” Genesis decided, _finally._ He moved toward the door with long steps, only glancing back once when his hand was on the knob. “Do you remember anything from the laboratory?"

“Just…” Red. The color was behind his eyes as he blinked, shaking his head in confusion as he tried to piece it together more. The color was different from the shade Genesis seemed to prefer, but he couldn’t quite place it in his head. Trying to was only giving him a headache, which he assumed had something to do with the injection. “No, not really.”

Genesis hummed thoughtfully like he didn’t quite believe it, but thankfully didn’t press the matter. “It’s for the best.”

Before Cloud could even open his mouth, Genesis was gone from the room. He plopped back down on his new bed with a sigh, his mind too scattered to be bothered by the vagueness. There really was no turning back now. This was his life.

\-----

It took approximately six days of moping around his room before he felt up to venturing out on his own, despite Zack’s many attempts at getting him to go out. Something about the way his movements were all so sudden was just uncomfortable, and he honestly didn’t want to break anything despite his feelings about ShinRa and this whole SOLDIER debacle. They'd probably just deduct the expenses from his paycheck anyway, if he roamed the tower accidentally destroying random shit.

“I’m not gonna bring you food after today,” Zack had warned the night before, and apparently he meant it.

Traitor.

It was probably for the best since he was due to report in and still hadn’t bothered to pick up his supplies. He looked over a very familiar list, having seen it once or twice during his time manning the supply station. A wave of unwanted nostalgia flooded him as he stepped into the supply room for the first time in nearly two months. It was funny, really. Some of his happiest memories of his time with ShinRa and the Infantry took place in this room. A genuine smile pulled at his lips as he saw his replacement sitting at his old desk with as much disinterest as he used to have. The guy didn't even look up at him as he walked up to the counter, too focused on his PHS to be bothered.

Cloud taught him so well.

“How’s it going, Tim?”

_That_ got the guy's attention, a bright smile on his face as he realized exactly who it was that was interrupting him. “I was hoping you’d drop by sometime so I could tell you what a damn liar you are. This job sucks!”

“Hey! I’m pretty sure I said it was boring.”

“Yeah, but you said I’d be able to goof off and put SOLDIERs in their place.”

“And?” Cloud folded his arms across his chest. “I was right about that.”

“No, you weren’t. They just come in and take what they want.”

“You’re not supposed to let them.”

“Easier said than done,” Tim shrugged. He extended a hand toward Cloud, snatching the supply list from his hands. “I can help you with most of this.”

“What do you mean most? It should all be within my allotment—I haven’t gotten anything since joining SOLDIER.”

Tim didn’t respond to that, instead pulling out the first few items. A basic materia set, meant for beginners. Boots, gloves, and a belt. He let Cloud pick out a training sword from the basic set after that, and then handed the list back to him.

“Uh, Tim?”

“Yeah?” Tim wasn’t looking at him, instead focusing on the computer screen and officially checked out the items to Cloud. He spun the monitor around for Cloud to sign off that he’d received the items, but Cloud knew better than that. He wasn’t signing shit until he had everything in hand. “What’s wrong?”

“Aren’t you forgetting something? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure no one’s gonna like it if I show up wearing only gloves, boots, and a belt.”

“I dunno man, you’re kinda hot. They might like that.”

Cloud snorted despite himself. “Yeah, no thanks. I’ll take the uniform.”

“We’re all out,” Tim said, shrinking back in his seat and Cloud stared at him in disbelief. “I’m sorry.”

“How're you out? When I left, there were enough new uniforms for at least fifty Thirds,” Cloud estimated. “Allotment is only two per year.”

There was no way that many SOLDIERs needed a replacement uniform in such a short window, especially not in the Third Class. He had come to learn Thirds were the smallest group in the program, and that he was the only one in his training group joining that particular class. There probably weren’t even fifty Thirds _total,_ let alone that many who would be due for a new uniform.

“They got to you, didn’t they?” he realized, not holding back his disappointment as his replacement sunk a bit in his chair. “I told you they’d do this if you let them. You said you wouldn’t take their shit!”

“It’s a lot harder to say no when they’re staring you down,” Tim told him apologetically. “SOLDIERs are really persuasive.”

“Why'd they even need that many new uniforms?”

“Something about having a spare in the field if things go bad, and then needing a new one while they’re home. I dunno, man. I’m sorry.”

Cloud sighed, barely even believing it. “Next time just point at the sign and tell them no.”

“I tried, but they just laughed at me!”

Poor kid—he had no idea. Cloud decided to take pity on him, flashing the tiniest smile. “Whatever. It’s not like I really wanted to wear one of those anyway.”

“I should have set one aside for you.”

“Nah, not when you have overpowered jerks walking in here and demanding shit for free.”

Cloud signed off for what he actually received before rounding the desk, his curiosity getting the best of him. Thankfully Tim made no objections as he began to search through the familiar software, looking up a list of who had come for Third Class uniforms recently. Unsurprisingly, there was only one familiar name on the list.

“He’s not even a Third Class,” Cloud huffed, clicking into Genesis’ file. Sure enough, he had collected 2 uniforms in the last week. A few more clicks later, Cloud was in his materia file, rolling his eyes at what he saw. “Unbelievable.”

“What?” Tim glanced over his shoulder, muttering a quick  _oh_ as he saw what Cloud was looking at. "Yeah, he comes by a lot actually. Always needs something."

“He has three summons checked out! Regs say one at a time on materia like that.”

"Yeah, but he said he’s the only one—”

“Yeah, yeah. First Class asshole, at it again. He pulled a fast one on you, Tim.”

And now he had Bahamut, Shiva, and ChocoMog of all things.

“Who even _uses_ ChocoMog?” Cloud wondered, getting more and more annoyed by the minute. In all his time running the supply station, that one hadn't been checked out even once.

“He said he needed that one for beginner training.”

Training, right. Cloud snorted at the idea, fairly certain someone in Genesis’ position didn’t personally train anybody. Maybe he oversaw the Third Class, but he definitely had the air of someone who preferred to point fingers and give orders rather than someone who wanted to work side by side as a newbie fumbled with their first materia. Plus, as far as Cloud knew, he was the only newbie which meant he was the only one who would need training right now. No way in Hells would he be summoning ChocoMog. _.._ Not when Genesis already knew damn well that he could summon Bahamut.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kind responses! I'm a couple chapters ahead now, so I'm going to try to update more often if possible.

To Cloud’s surprise, there were two neatly folded burgundy uniforms waiting for him when he returned to his room that day. Pinned to it was a simple note— _you’re welcome._ He glared down at it, figuring out very quickly who had left it here for him.

As if he should be grateful. If Genesis had just left the uniforms in the supply station where they belonged, then Cloud wouldn’t have been in need of one in the first place. That didn’t stop Cloud from putting one on the next morning, not seeing much of a choice. It wasn’t like he could report for duty in jeans, or at least that’s what they had warned about during training camp. In between all the drills they had been given the run down of expectations. Nothing about it was as structured as what he endured in the infantry, but some of the fundamentals were the same.

The uniform was part of the job—a symbol, if nothing else. Like it or not, he was a SOLDIER now, and that meant he needed to wear the uniform every time he had a mission or needed to report for duty.

Something about it felt wrong as he looked at himself in the mirror, shaking his head. The fabric was comfortable enough, but it just wasn’t right. Maybe it was the color. Whenever he had pictured himself as a SOLDIER back when he was interested, it was always in a blue uniform—maybe black, someday.

Now he knew better than to want any of it.

“You ready?”

His heart was hammering away in his chest as he took one last look at himself in the mirror, barely recognizing himself. No, he wasn’t ready, but he wasn’t about to tell Zack that. Not when his friend had been more patient with him than he probably deserved recently.

“I still don’t see why you’re here,” Cloud said, trying to play off the nerves he wished he wasn’t feeling. “It’s not like I’m gonna run off.”

“That’s yet to be determined,” Zack responded, elbowing him playfully. “The uniform looks good on you, Spike.”

“Shut up.”

“What? I’m serious!”

“Something about it just looks…pretend.”

“Just ‘cause it’s not how you imagined doesn’t mean it isn’t real.”

That was one way to put it. Cloud let out a sigh, willing away all the unwanted stress he was feeling as he walked side by side with Zack. This was really happening. Even the newfound clarity he felt since his injection didn’t help him put this all into perspective, and it was a confusing thing to reconcile in his mind.

He was bitter. Annoyed. Honestly, he was so done with ShinRa it wasn’t even funny. But maybe somewhere underneath it all, there was a tiny flicker of that person he used to be—the one who dreamed about this day long before he ever knew what it meant.

“You’re allowed to be happy, you know,” Zack told him, grinning from ear to ear even when Cloud just scoffed in response. “I know you won’t admit it, but it’s cool. I’m glad you’re one of us.”

“I’ll be glad when I get my mentor and never have to see Genesis again.”

“It’s not that easy. He’s your commander.”

“Yeah, which means he has better things to do than deal with me.”

“You really blame him for all this, don’t you?” Zack asked, uncharacteristically serious.

“Uh, yeah. It’s his fault.”

“Look, I’ll be the first one to admit it—Gen’s an ass. But he’s not as bad as you think. He’s good at his job, too. Guarantee he’s better than any of your infantry commanders.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“Just promise you’ll give this a chance. Get through training and see what SOLDIER's really about before going rogue, okay?”

Cloud snorted, his friend knowing him all too well. The thing was, Lazard’s ominous answer to his question about SOLDIERs who don’t cooperate hadn’t left his mind, and he had no intention of seriously going rogue. That didn’t mean he had to make it easy for these bastards though. If anyone could find a way to ride the line between allowed and not allowed, it was him.

“I’ll behave through training at least,” Cloud agreed, not willing to commit to anything beyond.

Zack didn’t bother to counter, seemingly content with that much. It didn’t take long for the elevator to bring them to the training floor, and that was when Cloud realized why they had Zack accompany him. The sense of finality he felt as they stepped off the elevator was almost tangible, like he’d crossed a new threshold in his life. If his friend hadn’t been there to support him, he might’ve turned around instead of taking the step.

He trailed along down the corridor, letting his friend guide him to the particular training room where he was supposed to meet Genesis for his mentor assignment. They entered the room together to find the redhead already there, sitting on the floor of all things. There was a book in his hands, and their arrival didn’t seem to distract him from it for even a moment.

Zack hopped to attention when they stood in front of him, clearing his throat in an obnoxiously loud manner. “Lieutenant Fair, reporting for duty. I’ve brought the recruit, sir.”

Genesis set his book down in his lap, looking up at Zack sharply. “Do I need to tell Angeal you’re making up titles for yourself again?”

“Hey! Don’t embarrass me in front of my buddy!”

Genesis rolled his eyes, and if Cloud didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought it was with a bit of fondness. “Get out of here before I change my mind.”

“Yes, sir!” Zack snapped into a fake salute, winking at Cloud as he turned on his heel. “See ya around, Spike!”

Cloud snickered to himself, not giving a single shit that Genesis wasn’t quite so amused. “So, there’s no lieutenants in SOLDIER?”

“No. You’d do well to forget the rank structure as you know it. You’re all equals—Seconds and Thirds. Beginners and veterans.”

“Just not Firsts?”

“Technically speaking, you report to me. I don’t consider myself much of a commander, though.”

That made two of them, Cloud supposed, keeping the thought to himself. Genesis narrowed his eyes like he knew exactly what Cloud was thinking, but he actually held his tongue for a change, too.

“Shall we begin?”

“Uh…what?” Cloud asked, glancing around the room. Genesis just stared up at him like it was obvious, but something didn’t click. “Aren’t you assigning me a mentor today?”

“You’re a special case,” Genesis reminded him.

“So I don’t get a mentor?”

“Hardly. You should consider yourself lucky.” The redhead pulled a materia from one of his pockets, red in color. He held the orb between two fingers, studying it a moment before tossing it to Cloud. “I’ll be mentoring you personally.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“What do you feel when you hold that orb?”

“Irritation.”

Genesis sighed. “Yes, yes. You can’t stand being in the same room as me, etcetera, etcetera. Can we move along with our morning now?”

“Not until you tell me—”

“As I told you before, I’ve tolerated your poor attitude for long enough. It’s time you accept the situation for what it is and do as I say. Now tell me, what do you feel from that orb?”

Cloud stared down in disbelief, not seeing the point in playing this game. “I already know it’s ChocoMog.”

“How can you be so certain?"

“Because I pulled your records at the supply station. You pulled a fast one to check out—”

“I’m on file as your mentor,” Genesis reminded him plainly. “I have an increased supply allotment now, as I may require additional materia for training purposes.”

Smart bastard. He wasn’t wrong about that, technically—if he really was listed as a mentor, he could get at least double of nearly everything. The fact that he was using Cloud to do so was just pouring salt in the wound, though. The ‘mentee’ in such a scenario would have restricted access in order to balance out the mentor’s increased allotment.

“You’re unbelievable. You don’t even want to mentor me, you just couldn’t stand being told no—”

“Truly? You think I have nothing better to do than watch you struggle with one of the most basic materia on the Planet?”

Cloud huffed, fingers curling around the damn orb. As if he were going to struggle with—

“Wait, what?” His brow furrowed in confusion, realizing with a start he couldn’t feel _anything_ when he held this particular orb. “What’d you do to it?”

Genesis smirked, triumphant. “Nothing.”

He narrowed his eyes, not believing it. Something definitely wasn’t right with this, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on why it was different. One thing for sure, he didn’t feel the typical tingle—the telltale sign he was holding a materia. Normally there was some kind of spark or sensation, like the mana in his veins could feel whatever it was within the orb.

This just felt like a glass ball. It was cool to the touch, but otherwise unremarkable.

“Can I try Bahamut?” Cloud asked, his free hand on his hip. Of course, Genesis shook his head ‘no’. Then the bastard picked up his book like he was bored, flipping through the pages as Cloud stared down at him in disbelief. “Seriously?”

“Consider this your first lesson.”

\-----

The second lesson went remarkably similar to the first, as did the third and fourth. He would walk into the training room, Genesis would hand him the same orb, and then he’d stand around while his ‘mentor’ sat there ignoring him for a couple hours.

Honestly, it was a bit annoying, but Cloud couldn’t be too annoyed just yet. There were still moments when he was adjusting to his new ‘abilities’ as a SOLIDER—when he moved a bit too fast, or the noises in the room were a bit too loud due to his enhancements. The lack of action during training was surprisingly soothing if he just ignored the fact he wasn’t alone.

So, he made the most of it. If he was going to be stuck there, he may as well do _something_ since the whole ChocoMog thing was clearly rigged for failure. One day he spent his time doing laps, burning off the excess energy he knew was building up inside him. Another he brought a training sword and ran himself through some basic exercises Zack had shown him once upon a time. Another and he kind of merged it all together, working himself as hard as he could until he was out of breath.

No way Genesis could give him that smug look so long as he still managed to make the most of their ‘training’ time.

“So, is this how it’s gonna be?” Cloud asked after a solid week of this behavior, hands on his hips as he stared down at the redhead after yet another impromptu work out. “Not that I mind the exercise, but aren’t we supposed to be _doing_ something?”

“You’re not ready for a true lesson just yet.”

“Or you’re a bad teacher.”

“I never claimed otherwise,” Genesis shot back, eyes narrowing as he stared up at the blond. “Perhaps its time you acknowledge you’re a poor student as well.”

“I’m a great student when I’m being taught something worthwhile. You sitting there is a waste of my time.”

“If you did as I asked instead of wandering the room like a restless child—”

“We both know I can’t do the summon,” Cloud interjected with a sigh. What was the point in pretending otherwise? He wasn’t so proud that he’d waste his own time with bullshit. “If you want me to cast something, give me a different materia.”

“Sometimes you won’t have the choice which materia you have in the field. If you deploy to certain regions, you’ll be required certain materia—Shiva, for example, goes on all trips to the North Crater.”

“Oh? So, what, I’ll have to take ChocoMog with me every time I go somewhere within chocobo distance?”

“Something like that,” Genesis responded, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. “You’ll need to learn to work with what you’re given, like it or not. You’re more aware than most that there isn’t an unlimited quantity of materia to go around—sometimes you’ll want to bring one on a mission and it won’t even be available. If you can only succeed with certain materia, you’re doomed to fail as a Third Class SOLDIER.”

Well, that could be a problem. Hypothetically.

Cloud shifted where he stood, already knowing himself well enough to know his track record with materia was erratic at best. Sure, he had managed some pretty random spells over the years, but it was mostly hit and miss. That was why he never got assigned to the support squadron back in the infantry. Not that he regretted how things turned out in the end, but for a while he had hoped his strange ability to cast what should have been uncastable spells would have landed him a different role.

“Here.” Genesis tossed a book at him—not the one he had been reading through day after day, either. This one looked new, like it had been brought for just this occasion. _Materia theory—Casting for Beginners._ “Not the most interesting book, but I think you’ll find it quite helpful.”

“I summoned Bahamut,” Cloud reminded him, raising a brow. “Why would a book on beginner stuff help me?”

“Don’t be a fool. Just because you have a natural affinity for certain materia doesn’t mean you possess knowledge of the fundamentals,” Genesis told him sharply. “As it stands, you’re wasting my time. You don’t know what it means to cast a spell.”

“I never claimed to be an expert. You’re the one who decided not to assign me a mentor.”

“I’m your mentor.”

“Is that what you call it when you sit there ignoring me day after day?”

“Oh? Suddenly you’re interested in my undivided attention?”

He scoffed. “No, but a little direction might be helpful. If I’m gonna be stuck here, I’d rather be good at my job.”

“Then read. Learn the fundamentals,” Genesis told him, like it was so simple. “You already have everything else working in your favor.”

Right. He was a catalyst, or whatever. Something in him allowed him to cast spells he probably shouldn’t have been able to. Plus, he had excess mako in his veins now thanks to this whole SOLDIER situation. If materia was just condensed mako, casting should have been a simple feat the moment he held the orb.

“Don’t attempt to figure it out yourself. _Read._ Put the pieces together when you’ve finished.”

He looked down at the book with a sigh, not seeing the point in arguing. At least he would be doing something specific now—something he could accomplish pretty easily. It didn’t look like it would be complicated, so he flipped it open as he sat down, resting his back comfortably against the wall a few feet away from Genesis.

Chapter One: Fundamentals of Materia.

It was a bit dry, but easy enough to read. He only yawned once as he got through the first chapter, not quite seeing the purpose of all this yet. At some point, Genesis had pulled out his own book as well, seemingly content sitting there reading in silence as Cloud did the same.

\-----

It only took a couple days for Cloud to finish the book, still trying to work it all out in his head during his most recent ‘lesson’ with Genesis. As it turned out, he already knew some of it. Materia was condensed mako. But what was mako?

Apparently it had something to do with the Lifestream. It was the essence of the Planet, which was probably the main part of the book he didn’t quite _get._ Sure, the idea kind of made sense in an abstract way, but it was difficult to imagine how that all worked in a literal sense.

The point was, every living creature had an essence which became known over time as mana. Some people had more than others, and those people tended to be more in tune with materia. They could exchange a bit of their essence, or mana, to utilize the materia for a spell. With enough rest (or the right potion, in this day and age), their mana would replenish naturally over time.

“I think I get it,” Cloud told Genesis, glancing over as he set the book down after completion. “I have more mana than most people, right?”

“Presumably, yes. There’s no true way to gauge it, despite various attempts to quantify it throughout history.”

Right. Mana points. The book had said something about that—researchers had put a number on different types of spells, and it was assumed they could then measure how much a person had based on how many of those spells they could cast before tiring. It was a bit convoluted and had become an obsolete process over time.

“So, having high mana is what makes me a catalyst?” Cloud guessed, frowning when he was promptly shut down. “What is it, then?”

“It’s like you didn’t even read the book,” Genesis sighed.

“I was literally sitting next to you the whole time. You _saw_ me read the book!”

“You say it as if I watched you the whole time. For all I know, you skimmed through without any attempt to understand its contents.”

“Isn’t that what you’re here for, oh holy _mentor?_ Explain it to me!”

“You seem to have a better grasp of the basics at least,” Genesis conceded, hand on his chin as he assessed Cloud. “You understand what mana is?”

“By definition, sure.”

“You understand what materia is?”

“Yeah.”

“The book doesn’t discuss the impact of mako exposure, natural or otherwise. Can you venture a guess based on what you now know?”

Cloud furrowed his brows, trying to think it through. “Mako is basically liquid Lifestream—it’s the same thing as our mana, but in a different form,” he attempted to explain. “Right?”

“More or less, yes.”

“So, if I get exposed to mako, it amplifies what I naturally have.”

Genesis hummed in agreement. “And?”

“And so I should be better with materia, since that’s basically just deposits of condensed mako that crystallized over time.” Deposits that adjusted to the unique climates where they were formed, which was why there were so many different types. It was actually kind of interesting to think about. “Wouldn’t all SOLDIERs be really good with materia though?”

“Not necessarily. Our essence is unique to who we are—how it’s impacted by additional quantities of mako is largely dependent on our personalities. All SOLDIERs have the capacity to utilize materia, but not all have the proficiency.”

“Instead they use it to fight harder?”

“Precisely. It enhances their unique skillset.”

Huh. It was actually kind of cool, Cloud decided, nodding along as he thought about it. “I never felt that way, you know. Like I was giving up some of my essence whenever I cast.”

“You never felt tired after a spell?” Genesis challenged, raising a brow. “You seem to forget what happened when you summoned Bahamut that day.”

“Well, yeah, but is that what it’s supposed to feel like? Maybe I got a bit tired, but it didn’t feel like I gave anything up to bring him out.”

“Because you’re—”

Cloud waved him off. “Not interested in hearing it unless you’re gonna tell me what it means this time.”

“I’ve no intention of simply telling you all the answers.”

Right. He had no intention of doing much of anything aside from sitting there watching Cloud try to work through it on his own. What was even the point in having a mentor if that was the case?


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your patience. This one's kind of short, so I'll be back with more soon!

By the next morning, Cloud was being given an _actual_ training schedule.

Every day would begin with a run, followed closely by his casting ‘lesson’. Then he would be sent to the adjacent training room to spar with whatever Second Class Genesis could requisition for the day, which tended to be one of the same three guys every time. After that he would continue with whatever book Genesis gave him that day, typically revolving around the same subject; materia theory.

Honestly, he still didn’t care much for the guy, but he had been in the infantry long enough to appreciate the semblance of structure if nothing else. Plus, he _had_ promised Zack that he’d behave throughout this whole training period, and he owed the guy a favor or two at this point.

“You seem happier,” Zack noted, tossing him a video game controller as they settled down on his friend’s couch for the evening after a very unproductive week. “Heard from a buddy of mine that you were smiling during training today.”

“Not true.”

“Oh yeah? He said you disarmed him, and that you were a brat about it.”

Okay, well. Maybe that part was true. It was just fun, disarming a Second Class SOLDIER when he was supposed to be a Third. It was almost ironic that sword fighting was the one area where he was making real progress, while casting was still a huge miss every single day.

“You know why you’re training with those guys, right?” Zack asked, elbowing him in the side.

Because he had to know how to use a sword even if it wasn’t his specialty—at least that’s what he assumed. Just like they had to know how to cast basic spells even if it wasn’t their main focus.

“Nope,” Zack responded, as if he could hear every unspoken word going through Cloud’s head. His friend was always like that—too perceptive for his own good. “They’re scoping you out. You’re gonna be teamed up with at least one of them.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, every Third is paired with a group of Seconds for missions since there’s not many of you guys. It’s usually four or five Seconds for every Third.”

“Seriously?” Cloud’s eyes widened, not expecting that. Sure, he knew there were less Thirds, but that number was pretty significant. “Why didn’t anyone say anything?”

“They prob’ly didn’t wanna pressure you into picking their team. It’s all about chemistry when it comes to this stuff, y’know? If you’re gonna join a team, it needs to be the right one. There’s no faking it.”

“I thought they were just teaching me the basics in case I got caught up close in a fight.”

“Well, that too. You guys are kinda like a commodity around here though. A lotta missions don’t end well without a Third on the scene, so teams without one don’t get sent on tough assignments.”

“Who’s your Third?”

“Kunsel,” Zack answered, which really, Cloud should have known. “We got a pretty good thing going.”

Right. Cloud deflated a bit, unable to stop the idea from floating through his head—if he _had_ to be a SOLDIER, he would’ve liked to work with Zack specifically. No doubt his friend got sent on some of the most difficult missions though, and they wouldn’t replace Kunsel with some beginner.

“I wasn’t telling you to bum you out,” Zack told him fondly. “Just figured you’d wanna hear it from me before getting put on the spot about it later when they all ask you.”

“Am I going to be assigned, or I get to choose?”

“If you don’t choose, you’ll get assigned. Gen and Ang’ll have to work it out.”

“They won’t do anything if I can’t even cast a damn spell.”

_“What?”_

Cloud laughed under his breath, his friend’s confused expression stupidly endearing. “You heard me. Training’s not going well.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, Genesis is a shitty mentor. He just gives me books and expects me to work it out myself.”

“He doesn’t answer your questions?”

“Well, yeah, but only about books.” Those were his best moments, if there were any at all. Overall, his entire mentor strategy was pretty awful. “He hasn’t once tried to help me cast a spell.”

“Well, I mean, if I saw you summon Bahamut, I’d assume you didn’t really need my help,” Zack shrugged. “Maybe he’s tryin’ to provoke you.”

That was an understatement. Cloud snorted at the notion, pretty sure they spent most of their days doing exactly that—provoking one another. It was a strange game, and neither ever seemed to win before the day was through. Neither ever admitted defeat either.

“I don’t get why he didn’t assign me to someone else. If Thirds are really as rare as you say, and I’m really as special as he seems to think, then he should move me. I won’t do anyone any good if I can’t cast a spell.”

“You _can_ cast a spell, otherwise he wouldn’t bother with you. Gen wouldn’t choose to mentor just anyone.”

“You really trust that guy?”

Zack met his gaze head on, nodding without hesitation. “Yeah, I do.”

It looked like there was more he wanted to say on the subject, but that felt like enough for Cloud. He turned his attention back to the TV screen, selecting his character for their silly racing game. For the rest of the night, he had no intention of thinking about SOLDIER or ShinRa or anything unpleasant. All he wanted to do was forget it all, at least for a little while.

\-----

Another few days of wasted lessons later, and Cloud was ready to snap. Genesis was sitting against the wall again, legs in front of him and crossed at the ankle. It was unfair how relaxed he looked, thumbing through his book like there was no better way to spend the morning. Gaia, if the circumstances were different, Cloud may have found it attractive, but frankly that was a word he would _never_ associate with this jerk.

What was the point in all these 'lessons' together if Genesis wasn't even going to spare him a glance?

“Are you gonna help me?” Cloud demanded for at least the third time in the last twenty minutes.

“I’ll help you when you help yourself.”

“Maybe if you weren’t so vague—”

“I didn’t realize you were so inept that you needed me to spell it out for you.”

“Give me another summon to try and I’ll show you how _inept_ I am.”

Genesis’ gaze finally snapped up to meet his, eyes glittering with amusement. “I refuse. ChocoMog is a beginner’s cast. You need to master that materia before I’ll allow you use of another summon.”

“Then what—”

“You have your own materia, yes?”

Cloud blinked a few times. “Just the basic kit. No summons.”

“Well, have at it. Let me know when you’ve reached a conclusion.”

“A conclusion about what?”

“About why you can cast a fire spell, but not a restorative spell. You’ll find a direct correlation between that and your summoning conundrum, and that’s all I intend to say on the matter.”

This guy…It was one thing to push Cloud to figure some stuff out for himself, but another to be so damn rude about the whole thing. Cloud grumbled to himself as he retrieved his Fire materia, a familiar spark igniting inside him as he handled it. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had needed to use a Fire materia, far more adept at lighting fires in the field than most due to his Nibel upbringing. His attention fell to the training dummy a few yards from where he stood, and that was _it._ Every ounce of frustration Cloud had been feeling for the last couple months seemed to pour out of him as he gripped the fire materia, eyes narrowing as the cast lit through him with very little effort.

The how’s or why’s were unknown, but he didn’t give a damn about that right now. All he cared about was the fact that it was happening. After all this time, he was finally casting a damn spell. He exhaled a long sigh of relief as he watched the flame engulf his target, diminishing itself over the course of several quick seconds. Weeks of effort, all for a single spell that came and went in less than a minute. Maybe it should have bothered him, but frankly, the details didn't matter that much. He did it, and that was all that counted in the moment.

“Impressive display,” Genesis said, rising to his feet and walking toward the dummy. It was obviously fire resistant, but that didn’t stop the redhead from assessing it with a critical eye. “Try the Restore materia next.”

“Why?”

“Humor me.”

He bit back the snarky response on the tip of his tongue, thinking better of it now that he felt like he was getting somewhere. It was almost like he was right on the edge of figuring this all out. A few seconds later and he had the materia swapped out, furrowing his brows in concentration as he tried to hold onto those same feelings he had moments before. From the tickle of the mako, to the frustration falling from his shoulders, it was all still there inside him just below the surface of the fleeting relief he had felt.

There was nothing though—nothing in his hand as he held the Restore materia. It may as well have been ChocoMog all over again. What the hells...Genesis' pointed stare wasn't helping, like none of this was a surprise at all. Considering the fact he had said as much before Cloud started, it probably wasn't. That only made Cloud more frustrated, gripping the materia tighter than necessary in his palm.

“Have you ever been able to cast Cure?” Genesis wondered.

“Once or twice.”

“Where were you?”

“Where do you think?” he countered—where else would someone have a need to cast _Cure?_ “I was in the field. Someone was hurt.”

Genesis gave him a pointed look, like it was suddenly all supposed to make sense. When it clearly didn’t, the redhead sighed. “Is it not obvious yet?”

“You’re the mentor here, not me. Something about this one just doesn’t feel right.”

“What, pray tell, are you feeling right now, dear?”

His eyes narrowed at the unwanted nickname. “Pissed off.”

“Precisely.”

“So…?”

“Anger isn’t cohesive when handling a restorative materia. Not for you,” Genesis explained, sighing dramatically all the while. He wasn’t fooling anyone though. Cloud could tell he was pleased with himself for getting them to this point, whatever it was. “Your emotions create a chemical reaction inside you, exacerbated when handling certain materia. A catalytic effect, if you will.”

Catalytic effect. Cloud swallowed hard at those words, his heart pounding in his chest as he tried to understand. This was it—the reason he had been dragged into this whole mess. The reason he was a SOLDIER. Was this what Genesis had refused to tell him for so long?

Except that made no sense.

“I’m not the only Third with emotions.”

“No, but you’re the only one who’s emotions impact your abilities. It's a rare phenomenon, but one that will serve you well with proper training. Think of it this way—in the heat of battle, who would cast a cure more quickly? You, or another Third?”

“Probably the other, since I’m clearly shitty at this.”

“I would challenge that statement. Not the part about you being poor at all this—that much is true,” Genesis told him, blunt as ever. “Your instincts operate on a different level than the rest of you. You’d act without thinking and have the cast off before the blow even fully hit one of your peers. Perhaps you’d block the attack entirely, depending on what materia you have equipped.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“Truly, I’m not a man known for my sense of humor.”

That earned a laugh from Cloud regardless. “I guess I believe that much.”

“Then believe this as well—I’ve far more important things to do than waste time with new recruits. I wouldn’t be here if you weren’t worth watching closely.”

“You sure know how to make a guy feel special,” he said sarcastically.

“I do, in fact,” Genesis winked. “It just so happens you’re not my type, dear.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“What shall I call you, then?” he wondered, arms folded across his chest as he stared Cloud down from the training dummy. “I suppose you’re used to  _Sargent,_ but that title holds no meaning here.”

“I do have an actual name, you know.”

“As do I. Since you don’t seem willing to refer to me by title, perhaps you could attempt it.”

Ah. It took him a moment too long to realize what was happening as Genesis reached out to offer him a hand. “It’s lovely to meet you, Cloud. My name is Genesis.”

Bastard. Asshole. Jerk. There were _a lot_ of names Cloud had called this man, sometimes out loud and other times in his head. In fact, he only ever really called him _Genesis_ when he was complaining to Zack about the man. Looking down at his hand, Cloud frowned.

He could be petty, sure, but even he didn’t see the point in denying this request. Especially if it would put a stop to all the stupid pet names.

“Fine,” Cloud conceded, reaching out to shake on it hesitantly. “I’m still gonna call you other names in my head.”

“Rest assured, that sentiment is mutual. Now, it’s time you learn how to cast without relying on your unique skillset,” Genesis instructed, stepping aside so that he would have a clear path to the training dummy. “Forget your frustrations and try again.”

That was a lot easier said than done, apparently.


End file.
